By DTN Staff

This article was originally published at 2:03 p.m. CDT on Friday, March 21. It was last updated with additional information at 3:41 p.m. CDT on Friday, March 21.

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OMAHA (DTN) -- Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on March 1, 2025. The inventory was 2% below March 1, 2024, USDA NASS reported on Friday.

Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.55 million head, 18% below 2024. Net placements were 1.49 million head. During February, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 295,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 275,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 415,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 389,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 130,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 50,000 head.

Marketings of fed cattle during February totaled 1.63 million head, 9% below 2024.

Other disappearance totaled 60,000 head during February, 7% above 2024.

DTN ANALYSIS

"There's simply no denying it: Friday's Cattle on Feed Report should be viewed as bullish, as Friday's data came in lighter than both the pre-report estimates and compared to a year ago," said DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart.

"Again this month, the line item that demands the most attention is that of the placement data," Stewart said. "To some degree, the countryside was braced for Friday's report to show an increase in placements, as Mexican cattle imports were resumed following the import ban because of the New World screwworm case found in Mexico. But as Friday's report clearly showed placements were down 18% compared to a year ago, placements in February weren't burdensome. As a matter of fact, none of the major feeding states saw a year-over-year increase, as placements in February were down 20% in Iowa compared to a year ago, down 13% in Nebraska compared to a year ago, down 8% in Oklahoma compared to a year ago, down 27% in Texas compared to a year ago and down 22% in Kansas compared to a year ago.

"Above all else, I think it's clear that Friday's data highlights the fact that not only do we have fewer cattle domestically to fill pen space than compared to a year ago, but the limited flow of Mexican feeder cattle has also played a large role in the placement story of 2025 as well.

"Needless to say, it's likely that traders will find Friday's Cattle on Feed report to be bullish on Monday morning when the market opens."

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DTN subscribers can view the full Cattle on Feed reports in the Livestock Archives folder under the Markets menu. The report is also available at https://www.nass.usda.gov/….

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